Means for classifying rolled billets



Oct. 10, 1950 M. LANGEN 2,525,302

MEANS FOR CLASSIFYING ROLLED BILLETS Filed March 31, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheeti II-Il INVENTOR. MATT/HA5 A 7'TOQNEY5 Oct. 10, 1950 M, LANGEN 2,525,302

' MEANS FOR CLASSIFYING ROLLED BILLETS Filed March 51, 1945 4 2Sheets-Sheet 2 p INVENTOR. MATTH/AS LANE/V Patented Oct. 10, 1950 MEANSFOR CLASSIFYING ROLLED BILLETS Matthias Langen. Parkstone, England,assignor to The Loewy London, Britain Engineering Company England, acorporation of Great Limited,

Application March 31, 1945, Serial No. 585,991 In Great Britain April 4,1944 According to common practice, billets rolled from one and the sameingot are divided into first and second qualities. The latter comprisesthose billets rolled from the top portion of the ingot, the material ofwhich is not as sound and free from foreign matter as the bottomportion. In those cases where the ingot is introduced into the rollingmill with its top first, the second quality billets will be those whichleave the mill first, and, conversely, where the billet is introducedwith its top last, the second quality billets will be those which leavethe mill last.

Previously, it was customary to separate the two categories of billetsby manual means. This method was not found to be satisfactory,especially for modern continuous mills which are operated at high speedsand where the output of billets is very large.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a means forseparating and classifying rolled billetswhich is capable of dealingwith a large output of billets without appreciably impeding the fiow ofmaterial through the rolling mill installation.

A rolling mill plant in which the classifying means according to theinvention are incorporated will be described in detail below by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the delivery end of a billet rolling mill plantshowing diagrammatically the runout and delivery tables and the coolingbed, with the billet selecting'means of the invention incorporatedtherein.

Fig. 2 is a. section,.along line 2 -7-2 of Fig. 1 showing on anenlargedscale one of a series of lifting elements which'form part of th billetselecting means of the invention. V

Fig. 3 shows the lifting elements of Fig. 2 in another working position.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the means forsimultaneously operating a series of the lifting elements illustrated inFigs. 2 and 3. v I

Referring first to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the billets deliveredfrom a train of rolling mill stands (not shown) are cut, while stillhot, into suitable lengths by a flying shear I0, and are then passed onto a shear runout table I I. This table consists of a number of skewedrollers I2, so that the billets will be gradually shifted to one side ofthe table whilst travelling, and will thus form a close pack of billetsalongside a series of guide rollers I4 arranged at one side of thetable.

Arranged behind the runout table II and in 2 Claims. (CI. 80-42)alignment therewith is a cooling bed approach table I5 consisting of anumber of rollers IS. As shown in Fig 1, the cooling bed may comprisetwo skid-beds I l and I 8 disposed side by side and practicallyidentical with each other. The billets which lie on the rollers I6may-be transferred from there to one of the skid-beds I! and 58 in theusual manner by means of chain or rope driven pusher dogs I9 (Figs. 3and 4), the ropes or chains 20 being passed round sheaves 2! and drivenfrom geared motors 22 through drums 23.

The admission of packs of billets from the shear runout table I I to thecooling bed approach table I5 is regulated by a movable stop 24, furthermovable stops I24 being arranged at the ends of the two sections of thecooling bed approach table which are adjacent and co-extensive with thetwo skid-beds I1 and I8;

According to the invention, means are provided adjacent the cooling bedfor separating certain billets of one pack from the rest before thelatter are transferred to one of the skid-beds I l or I8 for furthertreatment. One form which these means may take is shown more in detailin Figs. 2, 3 and 4; they include a series of lifting fingers 25 whichcan be raised from a position below the level of the table rollers I6(Fig. 2) to a position above that level (Fig. 3). To this end, thefingers 25 are pivotally mounted by means of arms 26 on shafts 21supported in bearings 28. Fixed to the shafts 21 are, furthermore,depending arms 29 which can be actuated in unison by a bar 39,

whereby the arms 25 and 29, and thereby also the fingers 25, are rockedabout the shafts 2'5.

As shown in'Fig. 4, the sideguards and the V apron plates 36 of theroller table i5 are cut away so as to allow the lifting fingers 25 topass therethrough during their rocking movement. It will be seen thatthe lifting fingers 25 are slightly inclined in order to facilitate theraising of the billets from the rollers It.

The fingers 25, apart from their rocking movement, are further adaptedto be shifted laterally for the adjustment of their throw. To this end,means are provided for moving the pivotal mountings 31 of the arms 26along the shafts 21.

It will be understood that the means for rocking the lifting fingers 25,and also those for shifting them laterally, can be modified and need notnecessarily be of the type described in the preceding paragraphs.

In operation. billets rolled from-one ingot, after having beencut tolength on shear I 0, are transported on to the shear runout table I lwhere they are arrested by stop 24 and accumulate in one In those caseswhere the ingots are rolled with their heads first, the first billets ofa batch are likely to be of somewhat inferiorquality as com- I paredWith-the rest, for reasons'set out before,

and itis therefore desirable to separate. them from the rest of thebatch. This isachieved by means of the lifting fingers-25which firstare. so positioned underneath the pack of billets by. theafore-described lateral adjusting, means 3'! to 44 that they will justextend underneath the billets to be separated, butnot further.

The fingers 25 are now actuatedby the mecha. nism consisting of parts25* to 32, whereby the second grade billets are raised from the rollersI6 and moved out of. the way of. the pusher dogs [9. Whilst thesebilletsare in their elevated' position, the remaining billets will beengaged bythe pusher dogs lflrandtransferred to one of'the adjacentskid-beds H -or l8. The-lifting fingers are now lowered and'theseparated=billets depositedagain on the table. ito be conveyed to adischarge table 45 and from there by means-of a pusher beam 46 toa'collectinggrid 4! after the stop |24 bywhich the billets have beenpreviousl arrested has been withdrawn; Thus, the secondgrade billetswi1l=bediverted fromthe path taken by'the rest of the billets.

It willbe evident that the movement of thelift. ing fingers 25- has tobe sotimed'withrespect to that of the pusher dogs I9 that thesecondgrade billets are raisedfrom-the'rollers lfibefore aset of pusherdogs l9- enters the spaces between the rollers l6, and that the billetshave tobe: discharged from thetable 15, after having beendepositedthereon again, before the arrival of another set of pusher dogsI92 This timing can be achieved by suitably inter-connecting thecon- :2:

trol means for the lifting fingers'and the pushe dogs.

The separation of the secondgrade billets takes 'place in theafore-described manner regardless of 4 whether the pack of billets hasbeen previously arrested by the first of the stops I24 and thus come torest at that section of the cooling bed approach table l5 which isadjacent the first skid bed IT, or whether the pack of billets has beenpreviously. arrested by the second of the stops I24 and thus cometo-rest on the section of the cooling bed approach table [5 which isadjacent the'second skid bed l8. The only difference is that in thefirst instance the second grade billets on their way'to the deliverytable have to pass first thesection of the cooling bed approach tablewhich is adjacent the second skid bed l8. whereasinthe second instancethe entire batch of blHEtSZZWi'lI pass along the section of the coolingbedapproach table l5 which is adjacent the skid bed 11, without thefingers 25 becoming active.

As a further alternative, a separate collecting grid 41 can be dispensedwith, and the second grade billets: transported either direct-to thesec- 0nd skid-bed I8, in-which case the" first grade billets will beconveyedtothe first skid-bed: H only, or a separate third skid-bed of adesign similar to that-of the two skid-beds I'l and lean be provided forcollection of thesecondgrade billets.

The mechanism for operating the'lifting fingers and the stops canbe ofany suitable design, and the invention is notlimited-to the special formshown in the drawings.

Iclaim: I

1. Apparatus for classifying'roll'ed billetsi prior to their transfer toa cooling bed; comprising means for forming a closes-packof: allthebillets rolled from one batch conveyor: means 'for transporting the packof billets to a point adjacent the cooling bed, means for transferring;the billets from the said conveyormeans to the cooling bed, means" fortemporarily lifting a predetermined number of'billets situated on andnear the edge of the pack so that they are out Of reach of the saidbillet transferrmeans and means for transporting the previouslywithdrawn-billets to a separate collecting station.

2. Apparatus. for classifying rolled billets according to claim' 1 inwhich the billet lifting means are adjustablein a directionacross'thepack of billets.

MATTH'IAS LAN GEN.

REFERENCES. CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Fors a June 10; 1930

